Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kerosene

/ˈkɛɹəsiːn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.02 in modern English

Syllables: kerosene
IPA: /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting in some remote or impoverished areas.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The kerosene lasted all winter, so the furnace kept us always warm."
"The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.[…]It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber. Other liquids produced in the refining process, too unstable or smoky for lamplight, were burned or dumped."

Etymology

Etymology tree substratebor. Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós)lbor. French -ènebor. English -ene English kerosene From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854. An older term for kerosene was carbon oil.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: κηρός
Suffix: -ene

Usage

Inflected Forms

kerosenes (plural) kerosine (alternative)

Derived Forms

biokerosene kerolox kerosenelike kerosenish

Phrases

kerosene box kerosene bush kerosene grass kerosene-like kerosene tin kerosene wood power kerosene

Synonyms

paraffin kero lamp oil coal oil kerosine

Questions

How do you pronounce kerosene?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/.
What does kerosene mean?: A thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting in some remote or impoverished areas.
Where does kerosene come from?: Etymology tree substratebor. Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós)lbor. French -ènebor. English -ene English kerosene From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854. An older term for kerosene was carbon oil.

How to pronounce kerosene

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kerosene”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɛɹəsiːn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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